‘Unprecedented’: Syria launches first trial over deadly coastal violence

ALEPPO — The public trial of the first of hundreds of suspects accused of crimes during deadly clashes and sectarian killings on Syria’s Alawite-majority coast began on Tuesday, marking the first step in a closely watched and unprecedented accountability process.

Half of the 14 defendants stand accused of attacking the transitional government’s security forces on behalf of the ousted Bashar al-Assad regime this past March, while the others—members of the new security forces—are accused of killing unarmed civilians in the spiral of bloodshed that followed. 

The men are among more than 500 suspects referred for prosecution following a months-long government inquiry into days of violence on the coast that left at least 1,426 people dead, most of whom were Alawite civilians.

Outside the Palace of Justice in Aleppo city on Tuesday, 14 defendants filed out of white vans into a chilly November morning. Heads bowed, they made their way into the towering building to a small courtroom, where judges, observers, journalists and relatives waited. 

During the roughly two-hour hearing, presiding Judge Zakariya Bakkar stressed the court’s impartiality and independence. “We have [Syrian] citizens accused of crimes,” he said. “We don’t have remnants [of the old regime]. We have suspects and rebels.” 

Charges against those associated with the former regime include “sedition [and] incitement to civil and sectarian war,” while those belonging to government forces are accused of killing unarmed civilians, as documented in videos that circulated widely on social media.

Tuesday’s hearing was ultimately brief, with Judge Bakkar adjourning the session and rescheduling upcoming hearings for December. A long process lies ahead, but the trial’s start marks a “step in the right direction,” Fadel Abdul Ghany, the head of the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) told Syria Direct. 

“This is unprecedented in Syria, and extremely important,” Abdul Ghany said. “For the first time, security and military forces affiliated with the authorities themselves are being held accountable.” 

People watch as the trial of 14 suspects accused of participating in violence and massacres on Syria’s Alawite-majority coast earlier this year begins at the Palace of Justice in Aleppo city, 18/11/2025 (Natacha Danon/Syria Direct)

In the gallery

Inside the courtroom on Tuesday, family members of the accused watched anxiously. For some, it was the first time seeing their relatives since they were arrested months ago. 

“We hope our son will be liberated, as he was merely trying to defend his colleagues after 18 of them were killed by remnants of the regime,” Um Muhammad (a pseudonym), 46, the mother of one of the accused members of the security forces, told Syria Direct. 

Over the course of the war in Syria, she has lived through the death of her mother and nephew, who were killed under the Assad regime’s bombs, as well as her brother who died in the notorious Saydnaya Prison. Another nephew was among the government security forces killed by Assad loyalists on the coast in March. 

“Regime officials should have been tried first,” she said. “Why are crimes committed by Bashar al-Assad not being judged? Why are they only defending minorities and not us?” she asked, her eyes filling with tears through the slit of her black niqab. 

Across the aisle, Um Ahmad, 28, stood tall and stoic despite her short stature, a white hijab wrapped tightly around her head. In her arms, she cradled her two-month-old daughter, born while her husband was in detention. Her husband, a construction worker, is accused of killing government forces and receiving money from a foreign entity—charges he denied on Tuesday. 

A source close to her husband told Syria Direct following the hearing that admissions attributed to him had been made under torture.

“He was part of a Facebook group with former members of the regime to receive a salary,” Um Ahmad said. “He joined because we don’t have any income.” Since her husband’s arrest, she relies on support from her family to get by. 

Despite her apprehension about the outcome of the trial, Um Ahmad says “there is a big difference between the former regime and the new regime—the new regime is much more respectful.” 

“We need a fair trial, and for the accused to have the right to communicate with their family and a defense attorney,” Abdul Ghany said. “We are interested in seeing how these matters go.”

Messaging

The start of the trial came weeks before the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Assad regime on December 8, and as Syrians continue to call for meaningful transitional justice. 

It also fell on the same day as a visit by Saudi Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Washington, where he was expected to advocate for sanctions relief for Syria, noted Malik al-Abdeh, editor-in-chief of the online magazine Syria in Transition. While the United States (US) has suspended its most stringent sanctions on Syria, a full repeal has so far remained out of reach. 

“The timing of the trial is directly linked to US conditions placed on President Sharaa to proceed with full lifting of sanctions,” al-Abdeh said. “The US wants the government to punish those responsible for the coastal massacres and the violence in Suwayda. As a result, the government has quietly been arresting those identified by an investigating committee.” 

In March, the Syrian government appointed a fact-finding commission to investigate the events on the coast. A similar commission was created in July for Suwayda, where fighting between local Druze and Bedouin fighters spiraled into sectarian massacres in July, with the participation of some Syrian government forces. 

But the trial is also directed to a local audience, said Ahmed Helmi of the Ta’afi Initiative—an organization that represents former detainees and families of Syria’s disappeared. 

If the trial is “transparent and fair, and if the criminals are held accountable along with those who gave the orders, it will be an opportunity to [also] begin reconciliation regarding the Suwayda events,” he explained. “[People there] may begin to see the Syrian government as a serious government that acknowledges what happened in Suwayda, holds criminals accountable, and makes amends.”

The trial also “sends a message to the victims that the authorities are serious about accountability,” Abdul Ghany added. “Accountability is not only for the remnants of the old regime, but also for members of the security and military forces.”

Spectators and relatives attend the first trial for suspects accused of crimes during a wave of bloodshed earlier this year on Syria’s Alawite-majority coast, 18/11/2025 (Natacha Danon/Syria Direct)

Limitations

While Tuesday’s hearing marked a step towards accountability for post-Assad crimes, movement towards broader transitional justice remains limited. 

The Syrian state does not have the necessary laws in place for wider proceedings, including prosecuting high-level regime figures, Helmi said. “The worst thing would be to hold them accountable under Syrian criminal law because the current law protects them and gives them immunity, he said.

Syrian criminal law does not recognize war crimes, crimes against humanity, torture, or enforced disappearance. Transitional justice laws have not yet been passed as the country does not yet have a legislative body. Two thirds of the Syrian parliament were selected through indirect elections in October, but the remaining third has yet to be appointed by President Ahmad al-Sharaa.

“The big issue with transitional justice is that there is no discernible ‘philosophy’ behind it, or even a clear and coherent approach,” al-Abdeh added. “I don’t think President al-Sharaa has made up his mind on how to proceed.” 

So far, al-Sharaa’s transitional administration has sought to strike a balance between accountability and civil peace, at times prioritizing reconciliation in the name of maintaining stability. Over the past year, scores of former Assad personnel, including the notorious Fadi Saqer, have enjoyed apparent impunity, sparking widespread anger among Syrians.

More recent crimes, as in the case of killings on the coast, provide an opportunity for the new administration to show some motion towards accountability. “State institutions are not very ready for these trials, but the state has gone ahead with them anyway,” Abdul Ghany said.

“Although they are [still] restructuring and reforming institutions, it was important to move forward with accountability to show they are serious,” he added. “We hope the same will happen with the violations in Suwayda.”